Prince Charles opens Abergavenny's Tithe Barn
Hundreds of people turned out to welcome HRH The Prince of Wales to St Mary's Priory Church on October 23. The Prince was there to worship, giving thanks for the work of the Priory Development Trust, and then to tour and open the renovated and refurbished Tithe Barn, believed to be the oldest such barn in Wales.
“From the beginning, the day was one of the happiest parish occasions”, said Fr Jeremy Winston, Vicar of Abergavenny. “The rain held off, despite the most terrible predictions, and from the moment of his arrival until His Royal Highness left there was a great sense of celebrations. It was clear the Prince of Wales was very much at home, enjoying the service, spending time with members of the choir and especially delighting the youngsters”.
It was the second time the Prince has visited and worshipped at St Mary's - he was here in 2000 to open the Priory Centre, also developed by the Development Trust.
On this visit, the Prince was able to see for himself the extraordinary transformation of the barn, once a threatened building. “The highlight was his keen interest in the activities of the children from local schools who were using the first class provisions which the Tithe Barn now affords”, said Fr Jeremy.
After chatting with youngsters from eleven local primary schools and the town's King Henry VIII Comprehensive School, the Prince had a cup of tea and a slice of bara brith in the Food Hall cafe, before ending his visit thirty minutes after he was due to leave.
The Tithe Barn houses a state-of-the-art interactive exhibition area, exploring 1,000 years of Abergavenny's history, an education area that will allow schoolchildren to explore medieval and Tudor life, the magnificient Abergavenny Tapestry and the Food Hall cafe. It is open from 10am to 4pm on weekdays and Saturdays.